


Eli

by Biodiversity (SoraSato)



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Slice of Life, WIP, banters, introduction of characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26212318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoraSato/pseuds/Biodiversity
Summary: Inquisition through the eyes of the female Inquisitor and the introduction of a handsome Trevelyan.This is a WIP created back in 2018.P.S. I'm fine with all kinds of comments ;)If you want to take ideas or anything, please ask first!
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/male Trevelyan





	Eli

The marksman was a scrawny freckled girl with short cropped tousled hair and a big bright smile.

She cringed when people called her the Herald, and shook her head disapprovingly.

Her most stunning transformation used to happen in the wild, where she could read the surrounding nature like an open book and, when time came for a fight, she proved to be invaluable as a sniper, swiftly taking out guards and adversary marksmen or covering her partners with a volley of arrows.

People flocked to the banners of the Inquisition from all over Thedas. Some, for reassurance, some for glory, for money, for adventure, there were even those who genuinely wanted to help…

***

Early on, a taciturn man joined them. He came from the west, carrying his solid quality gear on his back. He was of impressive stature, well built, well-dressed, self-assured, and handsome to boot. His catlike economical movements betrayed him to be a seasoned fighter, but he did not carry any excessive bulk.

Straight away, he accosted Cassandra at the training grounds and, judging by her body language, almost instantly managed to gain her respect just by introducing himself. Her face brightened, and, uncharacteristically excited, she hurriedly ushered him to the meeting room.

The Chantry bell tolled, signaling a gathering for command staff, and those involved started to move in the direction of the church.

“These days, we spend more time in that room than doing some real work!” grumbled Cullen under his breath, when the Herald caught up on him on his way to the meeting. The knight-captain glanced at the little pimple at his side and asked her with a soft grin playing on his lips:

“Would you know what's this about?”

The Herald shrugged her shoulders covered in thick avvar skins. Some people teased her for dressing like a member of the Bear clan and called her a hothouse plant, but she just grinned back at them, for lying in wait at these altitudes could prove to be no holiday in a thinner suit.

“Well, the Seer will probably introduce a new crew member, she got pretty excited when some guy showed up this morning.”

Cullen curved his brow.

“What guy?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders again and shook her head.

“How should I know? Just a guy, knows how to carry his own weight, tall, looks important…”

Cullen gave out a short laugh.

“How do you know these things? Are you sure you don't want to take Leliana's place?”

The Herald wrinkled her cute little freckled nose and shook her head in a sincere indignation.

“I'm just observant, and Leliana is nosy. There is a difference!”

Cullen laughed.

“Don't get angry, your Worship, I was just joking!”

“And don't call me ‘your Worship!’ I'm Eli! Not some dumb idol!”

The knight-captain just smiled as they continued their way to the church in silence.

Cassandra met them with a reserved smile on her face, but as soon as the guards closed the door behind the group, she exclaimed:

“Please meet Philip Trevelyan, he came to join our cause. He is a talented warrior and huntsman, and he can be a great asset to the Inquisition! – she paused, then added excitedly – In fact, we are very lucky to acquire him, for he is not usually keen on joining large-scale campaigns! He is one of the best men I ever encountered...! And he was a reliable partner to my brother in hunting dragons! Philip, I am so happy to see you!”

The man indulgently nodded, acquiescing the woman's emotional welcoming speech, and pleasantly smiled to all present. His attentive clear gray eyes met one by one everyone's gaze, and he spoke in a soft baritone:

“I'm happy to see you too, Cassie, but you shouldn't give me so much credit. Let people judge for themselves… Well, now that you all know my name, I would like some reciprocity,” his grin was very open and easy-going, and he behaved in a very catching way so that people felt very comfortable around him.

Josephine Montilyet took upon herself to introduce everyone present. Leliana and Cullen nodded politely to the newcomer, and Eli, the Herald, grinned to the man:

“Just whatever you do, please don’t call me that! This is a horrible misunderstanding that people keep propagating!”

The Trevelyan gravely nodded to her, fully accepting her plea and said:

“Of course. I will call you by your name, Eli.”

The girl exhaled. This was a refreshment from all the bickering when people constantly tried to persuade her otherwise.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed sincerely with a ready smile on her face.

Philip nodded to her and addressed the whole group:

“Now, I deeply appreciate your showering me with your attention and your warm welcome, but I would like to start getting up to speed, so never mind me for eavesdropping on your council and later borrowing your knight-captain for a reconnoitering.”

Cullen sharply nodded, and the meeting opened by him bringing up the sore subject of provisioning.

After the meeting, when the two men were gone sufficiently up ahead, Josephine whispered to her friend Leliana:

“One could cut herself on his cheekbones! I was blushing like a schoolgirl! I'm sure you know of this man, Lily, so do tell me!”

Leliana, having caught the Seer's interested gaze, carefully replied to them both:

“Of course, I do know a thing or two. But don't let your hopes high, sister…”

“This thing! He wants me, so you guys will have time to flee!”

Eli tried not to look desperate, but she was. What chance a skinny girl with a bow could stand against such monster?

Grim-faced knight-captain started to give out orders, the injured chantryman ushering people out into the passage, the urgent tumult, strained faces, a ghastly reality of an emergency evacuation.

A tall figure pushed through the current of rushing people, and the Chief Huntsman appeared at Eli's side.

“What's this nonsense about sacrificing yourself to this old fool?! You covered for us enough times that now you deserve to be covered as well. Do you have a dagger? Give me your bow.”

They had never become close with the man, he never showed any inclination toward fussing around the Herald, but each time he addressed the girl it was with a friendly respect, and now Eli was extremely grateful for his assistance. She gave him her bow, trusting him to know the best option under these circumstances and listened as best she could to his directive. The man was quickly talking and simultaneously adjusting his gear to accommodate for the Herald's quiver with arrows.

“When you make for the catapult, just know that I'm right behind you. If he grabs you, use your dagger, I'll cover you. But otherwise try not to engage him and certainly avoid close contact. Buy me enough time to get to the mechanism and I'll set it off, then you simply run like hell, you hear me?”

He looked intently into her eyes to make sure that his message sank through. Eli nodded.

“Got it.”

He nodded too and headed for the exit.

“Then let's go.”

Everything happened at once. Corypheus grabbed her, the catapult triggered an avalanche, and the ghastly dragon received an arrow right into his eye. His sudden scream distracted the blighted creature for a fraction of a second, and, before the mountain of snow buried them, Eli succeeded in biting the old monster's hand and slipped from his grasp.

It was cold, very cold. And dark. She tried to search around with her hand and listened to the sounds. Everything was silent, except for distant sounds of wind somewhere outside… Where was she? She remembered someone mentioning a network of ancient catacombs somewhere under Haven… What other possibilities could there be? A basement? A cellar?

Feeling her way in the darkness, she carefully scrambled to her feet and tried to find her way around.

After a few hours shuffling along dark passages, she felt a gust of fresh air and headed to the exit.

The wind thrust snow into her face but she kept going. She silently praised the Avvars for making such comfortable armor for mountains. The armor was warm, but heavy; the girl was tired and making efforts to fight panic. She just kept moving legs one after another in the deep snow and tried not to lose the general direction in the blizzard. It occurred to her as odd that no one thought about explaining to her how to get to the summer pilgrimage path. Probably no one believed she would survive…

Once she got to the woods she rejoiced. Here, she should stop for the night so as not to get lost in the dark. She found a widely ramified ancient spruce, crawled under its lowest branches, pulled a few to the ground and made herself a fairly comfortable nest. She missed her dagger, but it was irrevocably lost in the altercation with Corypheus, and so now she would have to make do without it.

She melted a handful of snow in her hands and drank this water, then found some old caked resin and sucked on it. It was very hard and dusty, but on the other hand Eli did not try to fill her stomach. She was used to hunger, and a few days without food could not send her into a fit of panic like it would some city dwellers. She nibbled on branch tips, again, not out of despair, but to communicate to her body that all was well.

She snugly tucked the furry skins around her, pulled the hood onto her face, buried her chin and nose in the scarf and closed her eyes.

She spent a few more days trying to find the trail, for it was deeply buried under the snow along with any indication of any passage of people.

But then she discovered a recent fireplace and understood that she was on the right track. From that point on, it was just a matter of time before she saw a distant smoke.

People met her with expressions of such bewilderment that at first, she could not make any sense of it. But then Varric the dwarf spotted her and came to her at a run.

“Don't look at us as if you've seen a ghost!” he exclaimed barely reaching her field of hearing. “We thought you dead! Philip could not find you anywhere and has been mourning you ever since. We barely persuaded him to go with us…”

“I persuaded,” interjected the arriving Leliana with a small content grin. “For we need all capable hunters to survive here. Glad you could make it here! How did you survive?”

Eli shrugged her shoulders and sat on an offered cot.

“Just did. Fell into some passage. How did Philip make it?”

“The picket fence fell on me but was stopped a yard from the ground by the base of the catapult. Glad to see you.”

The Trevelyan, his face reflecting a deep emotion, walked to her with a hobble and hugged her tightly. Eli looked down at his leg and saw that his right shin was in a cast. So, this was why he had to go with the rest…

The man saw the direction of her gaze and shrugged his shoulders.

“The fence. Was lucky I could pull myself out from under it.”

Philip relaxed his hold to make place for other people, and Eli was instantly surrounded by the whole team, all of them grinning, hugging her and offering food, drink and comfort.

She woke up happy, rested, and hungry. When she opened her eyes, she instantly saw her bow with its string carefully wrapped around it, her quiver and her dagger lying on a stool forethoughtfully placed near her cot.

Eli happily grabbed her treasured possessions and looked around.

Just about ten yards away, the command staff was conversing in low voices, their faces showing concern; Varric the dwarf was looming a few steps away, trying neither to interfere nor lose anything from the big picture. When spotting the awakened Herald, he grabbed a bowl, poured some hot brew in it from a nearby cauldron and hurried to Eli.

“There you are!” he exclaimed in a slightly exaggerated jolly manner. “Bet you need something hot in this chill!”

He gave her the bowl, arranged her weapons back on the stool and lowered the canopy for more privacy.

“Such a mother-hen!” laughed Eli, delightfully sipping hot cheese soup. “Hot food right to my bed!”

The dwarf chuckled.

“We, Children of the Stone aren't made for cold and snow! It's hard for us to move in the snow, and we are not used to the chill, because of the lava rivers at home, you know…”

Eli laughed.

“But you are a surface dwarf!”

“So what? My ancestors were regular Children of the Stone…! But enough of that! How do you feel today?”

Eli mentally scanned her body and said:

“I'm fine. And happy to see you all. I see Philip kept my bow and found my dagger. I'm really glad he did!”

Varric nodded.

“It's not easy to lose people. With enough time and a shovel, he would not have only found your dagger, but the secret of eternal life itself, jumping on his one good leg as he did! Good that you finally turned up here…”

“May I speak with you?” interrupted them Solas, the elf apostate with powers of observation matching Eli's own.

The Herald nodded to him, and the elf entered the tent, lowering the canopy all the way down.

“People are at a loss as to what to do next,” he explained. “We need a fortified place, not just a shelter to gather the army. We could ask a landlord from among our sympathizers to lease us a castle, but it can complicate many things in the future. What I propose is a place I know of, it's easily defendable, and the Inquisition could thrive there, grow into power to be reckoned with… What do you say?”

Eli beamed.

“How could I ever say 'no'???”

Skyhold grew at an astonishing speed. People were coming from all over the continent, and Eli never ceased to amaze at how many good craftsmen they've managed to acquire. The old fortress was being renovated as if by magic. Well, of course with the aid of mages, but it was still mesmerizing to see it grow.

The all-favorite sunny spot near the entrance to the tavern was never empty. And now, on her way to lunch, the Herald spotted two members of her crew, deep in some excited discussion and displaying an all-consuming interest in huge weapons that looked like spears but were much more elaborated, thicker and longer.

She drew near.

“Hey guys! What's this?” she asked glowing with curiosity.

The Iron Bull brandished the weapon and exclaimed excitedly:

“Dragon Runkas!”

Philip slyly smiled and added:

“I'm showing him mine, he's showing me his.”

The Iron Bull's booming laughter made glass in the tavern's window panes tremble.

Overall, it looked like the two dragon hunters were immensely enjoying themselves.

Eli looked closer at these gigantic pole arms. They both sported the main spear heads but also had curved side blades that looked like scythes or hooks.

“Looks dangerous,” she uttered trying to evaluate them by imagining how they would be used.

The Qunari was beyond himself with glee at the prospect of being able to brag about his favorite toy.

“Indeed, my dear! See here, the one Philip is holding is mine! It's bigger than his, it's heavier and it will do much more damage…”

The Trevelyan's eyes laughed when he made a crooked grin.

“Right! And also, it is a single-use weapon against a fire-breathing dragon variety! The wooden shaft would burn like a match at the first fire-breath!”

The huge mercenary indignantly shook his massive horned head.

“Like your toothpick would not melt!”

“No, it wouldn't. It's a special alloy, it's lightweight but very churlish…”

The Iron Bull used such warm expletives that Eli flinched and confusedly batted her eyelashes.

Philip looked at her and ordered half-jokingly:

“All right, young lady, that's it, move along!”

The young Herald was only too glad to leg it and, with a quick laugh, darted into the tavern.

Philip grinned, following her with his glinting laughing eyes.

“Damn, she's cute!”

The Ben-Hassrath followed the girl with the gaze of his single eye, then looked at his pal.

“Then what's holding you?”

The man shook his head.

“Nah, I'll just spoil her.”

The Qunari curved his eyebrow.

“You really believe what you're sayin'? Anyway, that's up to her to decide…”

The Trevelyan laughed.

“At this age, they don't know what they wish for.”

The Iron Bull laughed aloud and patted his friend on the shoulder.

“But how will they learn if there's no one to show them?”

Philip, however, seemed to have lost interest in this avenue of conversation and returned his attention to the Qunari anti-dragon weapon.

“Now I see it, the shaft is a composite with bone! Quite smart!”

The Iron Bull laughed at him and stayed his course, teasing the man:

“Have you seen her toes? She has the cutest toes there are! They are long and delicate, and she is not as scrawny as she looks…”

Philip cast him a discontent sideward glance.

“Would you shut up if I buy you a beer?”

The Ben-Hassrath cracked a sky smile.

“Are you joking? Nothing short of Maraas-lok will do!”

Philip rolled his eyes and snorted.

“Maybe you'll settle with a shot of sulfuric acid instead?”


End file.
